The Aluminum Difference

Alubat boats in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, has been building aluminum cruising boats for 25 years and has specialized in semi-custom multi-chine designs from Philippe Briand (the Ovni line) and ultralight roundchine cruisers from Group Finot (the Cigale line).

For world cruisers, aluminum has always been an attractive choice for hull construction but usually requires a custom design and custom construction that push the cost well outside most of our boat-buying budgets.

Pioneers in production aluminum construction techniques, Alubat has the ability to create an aluminum cruiser with a semicustom interior at prices that are competitive with many fiberglass production boats. Aluminum offers higher strength-toweight properties than fiberglass and is far more ductile; in other words, an aluminum hull can be both light and incredibly strong and will withstand a collision or a grounding without compromising the structure.

Although the Alubat brand is not yet well known in North America, in Europe Ovni and Cigale are highly respected. Noted voyager and author Jimmy Cornell commissioned an Ovni 43 for his current cruising boat in which he has sailed to Antarctica, Alaska and completed a trade-wind circumnavigation - his third.

BWS first became aware of the Ovni line of cruisers in the early 90s when we cruised in company with a French couple in an Ovni 43 across the South Pacific from Panama to Fiji. The boat always made fast and comfortable passages and had the ability, because of the retractable keel, to explore nooks and crannies of the Marquesas, Tuamotus and the Society Islands that were too shallow for most of us. Although the bare aluminum topsides, the multichine design and the distinctive stern arch all were unusual in those days, we thought the boat was innovative, practical and a good voyaging machine.

In May we had the chance to sail the new Ovni 395 (41 feet, 11 inches LOA) on Chesapeake Bay in mild conditions. We met Wolfgang and Elsa Nickle, the U.S. agents for Alubat, at docks in central Annapolis and had to extract the boat under power from a tight traffic pattern. The 395 handled well, turning in just over one boat length.

With the throttle down and the 55-horsepower Volvo cranking at 2,500 rpms, the 395 accelerated easily to seven knots and did not squat or create an ugly stern wave when we pushed the rpms to near 3,000 to see the speed max out at 7.5 knots. The engine compartment under the cockpit is well insulated; at high revs the noise and vibration on deck as minimal while the noise down below was well within reasonable limits.

Running at a normal cruising speed of 6.5 knots, the engine will burn about .75 gallons per hour, so with 80 gallons of fuel onboard the 395 will have a range under power of roughly 700 miles.

The boat we sailed was fitted out for passagemaking and had recently sailed from the Caribbean to Annapolis. It had a full-batten main with a stack-pack reefing system, a 130-percent genoa and a staysail, both on Profurl rollerfurling systems. We hoisted the main as we motored slowly out into the bay and then rolled out the genoa. In the eight knots of breeze, the 395 accelerated deliberately and soon was making 5.5 knots at 45 degrees off the true wind. We tacked across the bay and then fell off to a broad reach with the staysail rolled out. The wind had picked up to 10 knots, so at 120 degrees off the wind we were easily able to sail at 6.5 knots.

A centerboard boat with all ballast inside the hull, the 395 sails better upwind with the board all the way down and downwind with the board raised about half way. With the board raised all the way, the boat's motion becomes quicker and the steering slightly squirrelly. There is almost no reason to sail the boat with the board all the way up, so these are insignificant qualities.

We anchored off Annapolis - Delta anchor, 3/8-inch chain and a Lofrans Tigress windlass - and played with the centerboard again. With the board raised, the boat had a quick motion at anchor while with the board lowered slightly the motion slowed noticeably.

We did not sail the 395 in anything challenging but observed that the boat was very solid under foot, stable and handy. It tracked well and had a forgiving helm. At all sailing angles and under power the Raymarine 6000 autopilot handled the steering easily.

Philippe Briand is not well known to most Americans, but he has earned the reputation as one of the most highly regarded yacht designers in Europe. Noted for drawing hulls that are stable and fast, he also possesses that intangible skill of creating boats that are very easy on the eye.

Hard-chined, basic and inexpensive cruising boats - mostly built in steel - are a staple of the European cruising scene. Building on that back-to-basics approach, the designs for the Ovnis evolved as modern and high-tech adaptations of the theme.

The hulls are double-chined with long waterlines and ample beams. Having one chine below the water and one above the hull form offers a lot of initial stability and then a very stable angle of heel upwind, defined by the top chine.

With all the ballast inside the hull in the form of lead ingots bedded in epoxy, the center of gravity is well below the waterline yet not so low as to make the boat likely to roll heavily when running in a heavy downwind sea.

Alubat builds the Ovnis with 5083 H 111 aluminum plate welded in an argon-helium environment. The strength of the hull derives from the chines themselves and from the latticework of interior frames and stringers. The hulls qualify for the highest offshore E.U. CE rating since they can withstand a major collision without compromise.

A hydraulic ram with controls mounted in the cockpit locker next to the helmsman's seat manually raises and lowers the centerboard, and should it fail the centerboard will kick up by itself.

The 395, like her sister ships, can be beached and will stand easily on her own bottom.

With a 13-foot beam and 35- foot waterline, the interior of the 395 offers a lot of living space. The two basic layouts show either two aft cabins and a large forward cabin or a two-cabin version.

The saloon has the main table amidships built over the centerboard truck. An L-shaped dinette lies to port and a bench settee to starboard. With the table leaves raised, five or six adults can sit around it comfortably.

The galley has the stove outboard to port and the twin sinks in the counter next to it. A box with a countertop and drawers beneath is positioned on the centerline with a folding counter linking it to the main counter. Although this set up works, it may make sense to position the sinks closer to the centerline so they will drain easily on both tacks. The large chart table and head are to starboard at the base of the companionway ladder.

Plenty of storage space is provided beneath the settees and behind the bench seats. Because the hull is aluminum, it is necessary to use plastic bins when storing any metal containers close to the hull and below the floorboards.

Alubat uses oak and oak veneers throughout the interior, which is unusual in modern cruising boats but makes the interior remarkably light and bright. The finish work is excellent and joinery tight.

Because the boats are built on a semi-custom basis, Alubat can and will make modifications to the interior to suit an owner's needs.

Light and strong, aluminum is a fine material for a cruising boat. Yet it is prone to electrolysis and thus needs careful attention to the bedding of all the metal deck hardware, the grounding system for the electrical panels and electronics and the zincs, which must be kept fresh on the hull, rudder and prop shaft.

The 395 is a fine cruising boat that handles well and offers many unique and practical solutions for cruising sailors. Simple, robust and seaworthy, the boat will be a pleasure to maintain and an even greater pleasure to take to sea. Plus the boat is a fair value for what otherwise would be an expensive custom aluminum cruiser.